Archives
Categories
WeatherGuys Links
Author Archives: WeatherGuys Editor
When is the summer solstice?
The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is the day when the sun is farthest north. In 2014, this occurs on June 21 at 5:51 a.m.
As Earth orbits the sun, its axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees from its orbital plane. Because Earth’s axis of spin always points in the same direction — toward the North Star — the orientation of Earth’s axis to the sun is always changing as Earth orbits around the sun. Continue reading
Did weather play a role in D-Day?
Friday marked the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe and the beginning of the end of Nazi tyranny and murder in World War II. A perfect combination of full moon (for nighttime aerial navigation purposes), low tide (so that German mines in Brittany would be exposed) and light winds were necessary to give the invasion any reasonable chance of success.
Thus, days on which the tides and phase of the moon were optimal were known some weeks in advance. As late May arrived, it became increasingly clear that choosing among those optimal days for invasion would depend crucially upon the weather and the ability to make an accurate forecast of weather conditions.
Continue reading
Category: Meteorology, Severe Weather, Weather Dangers
Comments Off on Did weather play a role in D-Day?
Comments Off on Did weather play a role in D-Day?
What causes urban flooding?
Urban flooding occurs when water flows into an urban region faster than it can be absorbed into the soil or moved to and stored in a lake or reservoir. It can be caused by flash flooding, coastal flooding, river floods or rapid snow melt.
On Tuesday, the Madison area experienced urban flooding caused by an intense rainfall. On that day, a daily record rainfall of 1.46 inches fell at Dane County Regional Airport, breaking the city’s previous May 27 record of 1.27 inches. The city sewage system and draining canals did not have the necessary capacity to drain away the large amounts of rain that fell in a short period of time. Continue reading
Do wind farms modify climate?
The turbines on wind farms convert the kinetic energy of the wind into electricity. So, we might expect to see some changes in the region due to this energy conversion. The impact will be a function of how big the wind farm is and how long the turbines operate.
One way to estimate changes is through observations. The best method is to compare the observation of a region before and after wind farms are installed. Unfortunately, there are rarely enough observations before the wind farm installation to make strong conclusions about any observed relationships. Continue reading
When is the last frost?
The growing season is often defined as the number of days between the last time the temperature was 32 degrees in spring and the first time the temperature falls to 32 in fall.
The latest frost in spring is important to gardeners as they seek to plant after a long winter, and for most plants it is wise to do so when the temperatures are likely to remain warmer than 32 degrees.
Continue reading
